Film Review: P.S. I Love You (2007)

Grade: D

Sometimes, it's not enough to make a grown man get choked up in the middle of the night. Your movie can still suck. It's not enough to cause a phone call expressing my undying love to my girlfriend. Your movie can still be unintelligent. Sparking emotions is usually a clear sign for an effective movie that does what it set out to do. But this is a cheap spectacle, using death and love in the same sentence, the same gimic for a tearjerker gone 90 minutes too long.

There is almost nothing good I can say about this movie. It's an unconvincing film that shows Hillary Swank should stick to Oscar dramas, Lisa Kudrow should stick to television, and Gina Gershon should stick to the 90s. It's told from a female's perspective and it shows because no guy I know can fully relate to any of the three men in the movie. Gerard Butler is charming, no doubt, but can someone be too perfect? Yes and its a no-no in romantic comedies. Male or female. Dead or alive. That's why John Cusack works. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (aka Denny from Grey's Anatomy) serves as the exotic European further proving why British men are better lovers. Problem is his connection to the film is mere ridiculousness. Why does a film try to be realistic and at the same time, hold onto the fantastical chick flick motifs? And Harry Connick Jr. is your bumbling American who plays the best friend who can't get some. And my review of him? Stick to singing. We never care about him, and he remains in the loser fold, never endearing himself to the audience. Leave this role to John Cusack.

And as previously noted, it's too long, running a whole 2 hrs and 10 minutes. That's a mere sitcom away from Batman Begins. That's for a movie that runs on one premise -- getting over a perfect man who died too early in life and in the film -- before the opening credits. I can see why respected actors signed up for P.S. I Love You. It's a new idea for the overdone chick flick genre. It's emotional. And it's got Gerard Butler half naked and Denny fully naked. So I guess it's not surprising that I left this movie feeling cheap, feeling spent and used...with my emotions on the carpet floor, wasted.

Film Review: The Kingdom (2007)

Grade: C+

I wish Peter Berg would stop choosing bad scripts. He always enthralls actors with his innovative directing style -- and I've always thought he had incredible potentil since the mid 1990s. Very Bad Things and Friday Night Lights (both film and TV) are some of my favorite works to watch on both an entertaining and artistic facet. In very few movies do I feel as if I am there, that I ride with the high and the lows of the actors. Maybe it's the way he motivates his cast and crew, and maybe it's the handheld camera shots he uses, but it's clear Berg has a unique and correct vision of how to make non-reality TV seem more realistic than life itself.

But in both Hancock and The Kingdom, he supremely disappoints. And I don't get it. He has much better actors in both films. Bateman is classic. Cooper and Theron are well-respected. Foxx and Smith will make any film better. And I guess I'll just have to blame the screenplays for both pitfalls. And it's a shame. You see glimpses of his genius in both films, but they both fall flat. You never get involved with any character, no matter how much you want to. You sort of see the tension and the drama, but it never fully unfolds in a way that makes you care. Just snippets of great 3 minute action sequences. But even after three or four of those snippets, you still have another hour and 15 minutes of movie time left.

The Kingdom is clumped up, sometimes moving too fast and sometimes moving too slow. Unlike FNL, it never makes sense why the characters or changing or how they're changing. You just see that the movie has to move along, so they change. Berg's next two films won't be released till 2010, will hopefully be long enough for him to get his mojo back. In the meantime, I can just enjoy the imprint of his creativity when FNL comes back in a few months.

Film Review: Definitely, Maybe (2008)

Grade: A-

Sure, it may seem absurd that it deserves the same grade as The Visitor, but it is so hard to find a chick flick these days that at least attempts originality. I am a sucker for chick flicks, but I don't remember the last time I was head over heels for one like this. I might have to go back as far as Serendeipity. Corny? Sure. Predictable happy ending? Sure. But it plays on more realistic variables - divorce, kids, and timing. It's an intelligent script and for once, a romantic comedy told from a man's point of view. Doesn't hurt that that man is Ryan Reynolds, a millionaire's Dane Cook and a poor man's John Cusack. Somewhere in between, he exists, always entertaining and bankable. Like Will Smith, his presence alone takes the film from mediocre to good, or good to great. I'm convinced that Mr. Reynolds will receive a whole lot more accolades before his career is over. O, how far Van Wilder has travelled.

The three female leads -- were a lot more weaker (another reason I'm thrilled to see Reynolds as the key character). Elizabeth Banks played a serviceable role, playing the good girl from back home. But it doesn't she like she tried to develop a character at all -- just reading lines from an adorable script. Rachel Weisz is one of my favorite actresses of all time, but in this film, she seems to try too much. She seems right for the sophisticated lady from NYC, but she's not in the least bit endearing. At least when Banks is there, you want to learn more about her. For Weicz, you'd rather let her go and make another Mummy movie.

And that brings me to the third female lead -- Isla Fisher (previously of The Lookout and Wedding Crashers). Fisher was a pleasant surprise, playing te cute bad girl to perfection, a little bit of tattoo and a little bit of dimple. She's the anti-nymphomaniac from the Vince Vaughn days, and it's easy to see why her striking red hair, her vulnerability in the midst of rebelliousness, and her imperfect perfection can attract Mr. Reynolds in the movie, Mr. Cohen in real life, and Mr. Neophyte right now.

Definitely, Maybe is a good date movie, appealing to those who has gone through too many"almost"s or "this closes"s. And if that doesn't do it for you, at least have some fun guessing around in this romantic whodunit. It won't keep you guessing till the very end, but it at least has you guessing.

Film Review: Lust, Caution (2007)

Grade: B+

If you're not going to admit it, I will. I only rented this movie because of all the conversation about sex. Come on. NC-17 rating and it has the excuse of Ang Lee to go with it. The 12-year old rebel inside of me went along right with it.

But my adult, movie-loving self took over and has now become of the year's bigger surprises. In fact, the only part of me that left disappointed was that preteen, for the sex scenes were more disturbing than anything else (and not just because of the woman's armpit hair). But that was part of Ang Lee's goal -- one of the few films along the Unfaithful lines of using sex to build tension, anguish, and regret.

The story is about a group of college students rebelling against China's puppet government, and decides to concoct a plan to assassinate a top official. They soon find out the plan not only takes longer than expected, but requires more sacrifice -- a woman's heart. That woman played by newcomer Tang Wei was chosen out of 10,000 women, but she's a pro at her work, a prodigy in the making.

Tony Leung Chui Wai gives another winning performance (and at this point, do you expect anything less from the man). I'm not sure I've ever felt so strongly (positively or negatively) towards such a stoic cahracter.

It's not a great film that I would consider watching again in the next few years, but I will say this. Lust, Caution is more evidence of Ang Lee's gift for making cinematically beautiful films in the face of a tragic, heart-wrenching story. Sure, it ranks below Crouching Tiger and Brokebackfor most people, but I find very little distinction here. Maybe it's because I went into this film with far lower expectations than the other two, but I left all three feeling the same way: I cared about the characters deeply, but didn't know how much my heart was invested in them till the finale.

Similar to the protagonist. That's poetic filmmaking at its best.

Film Review: The Dark Knight (2008)

Grade: A

Yes, yes. I know I am the last person in the world to watch The Dark Knight. A homeless guy on Peachtree, two orphans from Myanmar, and a blind psychotic at Arkham Asylum have already given me the Millhouse treatment.

I shouldn't even have a movie blog if I won't watch Batman Begins till Monday night, but in my defense, I work weekend nights and would only watch it on IMAX.

But moving ahead, by now, you've probably been Dark Knighted out by all the fantastic reviews, the fanboys fainting, and the calls for an Oscar nod for Mr. Heath Ledger or the way I will always remember him -- Patrick Verona in the chick-flick guys can like 10 Things I Hate About You.

***SPOILER ALERT*** (just in case you're a bigger loser than I am)

Do I have the cajones to disagree with everyone else and say this was less than very good/great film? I do, but I'm also not a liar. Because even though it does come short to living completely up to all the hype, it definitely comes damn close.

Before I shower the film with praises thay may sound like a broken record by this point, here are a couple of the minor qualms I had with the film. Did Scarecrow really need to be in this one? It comes close to Spiderman 3's too-many-villains disease, and as fun and breaktaking the scene was, it wasn't necessary. That being said, I never actually felt the film was too long, a swift 150 minutes that made the painful 90 minute waiting-in-line moments worth it.

Also, the Lt. Gordon dying, but not really storyline -- I mean, really? Really?? I'm surprised more reviews haven't brought this up. It seemed like a cheap trick from a mediocre Broadway play or a 60s sitcom ruse. Besides, didn't the cop and people around him clearly see the blood stains or lack thereof?

I love Christian Bale to death, but I wasn't sure how much more I could take his gutteral performance as Batman. It was said that Bruce Wayne's development was sacrificed for Batman's development and for me to hear those grunting words that makes Rosie Perez sound comprehensible.

Outside of these issues (and trust me, they're not huge), The Dark Knight is everything I hoped a superhero movie could and should be. Forget campiness, big explosions, and cool gadgets. Comic book heroes speak to the heart of the matter -- the deeply philosophical questions that make us who we are -- heroes or villains, good or bad. Underneath the bright colors, there are a lot of provocative questions and issues for most superhero movies. To ignore all that is like sex without love. Shut up -- seriously, think about it. It's deep. Trust me.

Christopher Nolan is a genius, coming into his own in the action adventure film, showing once again that he is antithesis of M. Night Shyamalan. Whereas Shymalan was thought to be the next Spielberg of our times and turned out to be the Sinéad O'Connor of cinema -- a quintessential one hint wonder, Nolan shows that we were only scraping his genius in Momento.

In terms of Rachel Dawes' character, I'm glad Maggie Gyllenhaal took the reigns of the character, giving Dawes the extra oomph she needed to be a tough DA in Gotham's streets. Katie Holmes is better served as the girl next door when Tom Cruise is your neighbor. That being said, I'm ecstatic that Dawes was killed off, because even though Gyllenhaal did all she could, it seems like the Nolans don't have the Tarentino gift of writing strong female characters into his scripts.

The lighting and sound editing were superb, as I expect to take a few easy wins at The Big Award show next year, but I do not understand the whole fascination with the set. When you think about it, most of the sets were not designed. If you look closely at what's around, that's just Chicago. Seriously. It only seems darker because it was at night and again, the lighting crew was great.

And now on to the film's most incredible feature. Even if the directing was horrendous and they were working on a 10,000 dollar budget, the acting drove this movie. Take the same cast and pluck them into Sex and the City, and I promise you, Michael Caine will play the sexiest Carrie Bradshow you will ever see grace any screen. Since we're on the topic, Caine and Morgan Freeman never share a scene once in Dark Knight, but they play the father/mother role to perfection. They both give the dark film a light-heartedness it needed and Wayne a touch of wisdom whether he took it or not.

For all the talk that Ledger receives for being an actor that submerges himself into every role he plays, people seem to forget Bale's tactics. Despite merging into lead roles for major blockbusters, he remains one of the most underrated actors today, as we often skim over his name to the Willem Defoes, Hugh Jackmans, and Heath Ledgers that play opposite him. As I noted before, I'm not a fan of his Batman performance, which is okay since most of the Batman scenes were stuntmen anyway. But the little time that we see him as Bale, his depiction of a conflicted superhero translates well. IMAX helped.

Gary Oldman -- another unheralded performance by the vet. As Lt./Comm. Gordon, he is the most realistic depiction of a man in reality, who hopes that safety for his family and goodness in society can exist together. He has no extroadinary powers, no riches beyond his imagination, or a tragic experience that has scarred him his entire life. He knows his limits, but he's not afraid to break them. He knows his values, and he's not afraid to hold them. If he's not every man, he's at least the man that we hope we grow up to be.

If Ledger deserves an Oscar nod, so does Aaron Eckhart, another underrated artist that deserves top billing in future Eckhart movies. From making The Paycheck watchable to stealing the show in Thank You For Smoking, he has always been one of my favs, an acting that doesn't reach for gimics or over-the top antics to prove his point. In my humble opinion, he was the best actor in The Dark Knight, giving us a sense of his passion gone right and his passion gone wrong. And even though Comm. Gordon is what every man hope we grow up to be, Dent may be the man that we sadly become. Unable to be completely resolute, not understanding where to draw the line between good and evil, and not having the self-control to hold strong in the face of tragedy. And for that, he isn't Gordon or Wayne (as we're not). And for that, he's nowhere close to The Joker either (as we're not). And true to his name, we dont know where we are or who we are. There's a reason why the most common complain about your friends or enemies alike is that we're all a little hypocritical, a little two-faced.

And finally, we come to teh critically acclaimed Joker, played by Heath Ledger. The toughest thing about watching his role were the inevitable thoughts that a) he's dead and b) this is supposed to be what one of the greatest performances ever, and c) this may have led to his death. So from this, you either become a bandwagoner, praising it as exactly the greatest performance you've ever seen and that anything less than an Oscar nod would be a crime. Or you enjoy being different, saying it dones't match the hype, but if you think about it -- would any performance in the history of film ever match the hype that we all put this film and his performance under? Probably not.

As for me, I fall somewhere in between. He steals the scene once he enters it and you hope for him to return when he leaves it. One moment, he scares the living shit out of you and the next, he fills you up with uneasy laughter. But for me to praise him unconditionally would be to deny having ever watched great movies with great actors with great performances. I can see him receiving an Oscar nod, and he's well-deserving of one, though I would not be shocked if he were overlooked. The point is this -- we still have a good five and a half months of movies left in the year, with most of the Academy favorites coming out in December. Just for our movie-goers' sake, I hope Ledger doesn't win the award; I want to see him get beat out by at least five better performances. And this is no sick way of disrespecting Ledger, this is simply my selfish desire to see better films made with better performances shown.

***Rant Alert***
The premmature obsession fanboys, teenage girls, and adults who don't watch enough movies have over Ledger is mind-boggling. As I was leaving the theater, four 20-something guys behind me literally said, "We need to sit here till the end of the credits, in honor of Heath." And the response was..."Amen." What? Seriously? First of all, he's an actor who gets paid millions of dollars to dress up and act like a clown. And secondly, you didn't know him and he didn't know you, and either way, I doubt he affected your life in anyway. Older actors, boasting a filmography longer than 15 films -- I can understand. But what was it in Ledger's career outside of The Joker and/or Brokeback Mountain made him the Deniro of your life. Was it his 10 minutes in Monster's Ball? Or his second-billing in terrible Brothers Grimm? What about the box office flops in The Four Feathers, Lords of Dogtown, and Cassanova. But I digress...my remarks for our undying love for celebrities must wait till another post, or even another blog.

In conclusion, The Dark Knight didn't change my life or force me to answer tough questions underneath my psyche. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again in the theaters and I'm not even sure if I'm going to buy it when it comes out on DVD. And no, it does not and should skyrocket into the top 5 movies of all time.

But folks, it's not the Bible and Nolan never meant to be God. It's just a movie. And for that, it excels beyond your wildest imagination. TDK may never reach your expectations (or at least my expectations), but like I said, it sure comes damn close.

Film Review: Hancock (2008)

Grade: C-

If Hellboy did everything right with lower than average expectations, then Hancock did everything wrong with higher than average expectations. Hancock had everything going for them -- a bankable actor, a talented supporting cast, and a well-respected and innovate director. And yet, nothing seemed to go right in this movie.

I should probably blame it on the writers, Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, with resumes filled with television writing credentials. And it shows -- because in essence, Hancock's 90 minutes feels painfully long. The movie should've ended halfway through, and it would've made for a suitable pilot for NBC. And yet, I didn't enjoy either half -- one that we've seen already through the oversaturation of trailers leading up to the July 4th weekend. Meanwhile, the second half takes an...interesting plot twist that seemed more like a last ditch effort to shock viewers. But even the respected actors in this flick can't make sense of the plot.

Here's the quick rundown: Hancock is an asshole. Hancock is a superhero. Hancock gets PR help. Hancock gets love. And then...love triangles, Greek mythology, and horrible villains come to life. What? Exactly.

In any good movie, there has to be a struggle -- maybe against a shark, a terrorist, or oneself. And for a superhero movie, the only reason why we need a superhero is when we see the evil in a villain. But the struggle or the villain was a joke, one without direction or thought. And what's the end product? A film that doesn't know what it is or what it wants to be, so it takes the audience on a ride towards nowhere but the end credits.

Film Review: HellBoy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Grade: A

More fun than Wanted, more laughs than Hancock, and more pow than The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy Part Deux is everything you want from a superhero movie. It excels in all the necessities, while reinventing itself from the Spidermans or Batmans of the Hollywood comic world. There is no doubt in my mind that HellBoy rivals IronMan as best pre-Batman superhero movie of 2008.

Here's the quick rundown: Elf world wants world back from humans. HellBoy gets in the way.

Hellboy keeps his punch and might from the original, but elevates his sassiness and his likability. The first film gives us a hint of his character, but Ron Perlman elevates Hellboy, giving us more of the "more than a hulk" role.

The villain is more formidable this time around, which is essential for any good vs evil movie -- an element for why we already know The Dark Knight will be a great movie and why Batman and Robin was a terrible movie (Mr. Freeze was more like a chilled out, funny iceman than a stone-cold villain).

Guillermo Del Toro once again shines in this film, showing off an imagination Peter Jackson wishes he had in LOTR. I couldn't help to think to myself that the director is either a genius or a freak, maybe a tad of both.

And yet, admist all the fun, the ass-kicking, and the jokes, there are incredibly deep messages in this movie. It brings in free will and predestination, acceptance and rejection, heaven and hell...opening questions and ghosts that will be revealed in the heavily-hinted third movie.

My favorite thing about Hellboy? That it doesn't try or even think about trying to be another movie, creating a different personality for a different superhero. There are no hints of Metropolis, or signs of a Robin sidekick. Hellboy deserves his own aura, his own city, and his own enemies in the closet.

And now, he's getting the well-deserved respect as well.

Film Review: The Visitor (2008)

Grade: A-

I really hate to be another snobby critic that bashes mainstream blockbusters, instead choosing for the marginal indie films. But how can I resist when The Visitor chooses to show, not tell; when The Visitor relies on its silence and its reality instead of the booms and bangs, when The Visitor shocks you in the way that Wanted could only fantasize about.

The characters evolve and change. Good (people) and evil (institutions) are at war. Love is in every scene, but "love" is never uttered or expressed in kisses. Emotions are never overacted or underacted. In fact, you barely you feel like you're in a movie; more like you're getting an inside look to a man's chance encounter with another man.

So here's the quick rundown: Enter grumpy, uncultured, white man. Man returns to NYC home. Enter homeless illegal couple who have been living in man's home. Awkward. Man feels pity. They live together. They bond. Someone gets arrested. Someone fears deportation. Man fights for his new friend.

The Visitor hits home because it never tries to do too much. It allows common life experiences that causes common human emotions and common human reactions to carry through till the end credits.

And the ending? Perfectly imperfect. Translation -- it feels real.

Film Review: Disturbia (2007)

Grade: B

To put it simply, Disturbia is a modern day version of an American classic, except that it replaces heart-wrenching suspense for blood, skin, and a scene nominated for MTV's Best Kiss Award. That's never a good sign.

Now, don't get me wrong. It was an enjoyable flick, the quintessential popcorn movie -- the foreshadowing of Shia LeBeouf's entire career. But when you remake one of the greatest thrillers of all time (Rear Window) created by one of the greatest directors of all time (Alfred Hitchcock), you better do the job to near perfection. Because otherwise, you're a) putting yourself up for a harsher critique than you deserve and b) exposing the studio as a money-hoarders. Which they are, but the best ones try to hide that fact.

So here's the quick rundown: Boy loses father. Boy becomes rebel. Boy is sentenced to house arrest. Pause in film's plot to introduce hot girl and sidekick minority friend. Laugh laugh, kiss kiss. Cue the AWs and back to the film. Boy thinks he sees murder. Boy cries wolf. Boy was wrong. Rinse and repeat. Predictable ending. Boy gets girl (in case that wasn't implied through "predictable ending.)

So what did the film do well? As much as I can bash LeBeouf's movies, I enjoyed his performance. He knows how to pick his summer popcorn movies. And heck, it's the summer. David Morse does a tremendous job as the movie's villain, sending shivers down the spine of every 12-year old and below. And even though Disturbia never trusted the script and the actors to carry the film -- instead chickening out by morphing into a slasher flick -- they at least kept the main pieces of Rear Window in tact.

So the lesson is even when you mess with perfection, perfection's debris will still be good enough to earn you over a hundred million dollars.

The bad news: a sequel is already in the talks.